Re: Pitino & Calipari...Questions??

[Matt Healy <mhealy@welchlink.welch.jhu.edu>]

>Just thought about comparing Pitino's work with Celts vs Calipari with
>Nets....the reason being that if we needed we could have gotten Calipari
>as the Celts coach.
>
>Calipari has done a good job with Nets [even being mentioned by experts
>as a coach of the year candidate] even before VanHorn started rolling.
>His style of play is what impresses me as a coach to take his team far
>up the ladder. He has Van Horn, Kittles, Jayson W, Cassel [??] , Gill
>etc. as decent players. And arguably has done a good coaching job.
>
>Pitino is good and quite charismatic...but will his crazy style of
>bball lead us to the promised land ? I know that we will keep getting
>better and better with time.....but the consensus from press experts
>around the league is that Pitino's frantic style of play will wear out
>players sooner than normal. Also other coaches seem to think that it
>could be disected and remedied by opposing coaches, like what Hanzlik
>did yesterday [ certainly aided by Celts pathetic shooting].
>
>So is Pitino & his hefty salary a mistake in the long run ?

Pitino would be the first to tell you that the NBA is a players league, and
talent will win or lose games.  A good coach is a good coach, and can make
up some of the difference, but in the end, the most talent is going to win.
I think the Nets have a reasonable amount of talent, in the players that
you named above.  I wouldn't mention Calipari for coach of the year before
mentioning Pitino, who has turned around a worse situation with less, I
believe.  I have to admit that I don't give a hoot what the consensus from
press experts around the league is.  If they knew so much, they'd be
coaching or at least advising.  They have their right to an opinion, but I
wouldn't give it undue weighting.  Whatever you want to say about this
style of play (and I think it is highly exaggerated anyway), he has turned
around a hopeless abysmal franchise and gotten it headed back in the right
direction.

Matt